The term ‘pile fabric’ is used in the present patent application to refer to a fabric which, in at least one zone, has a fabric structure which renders the fabric thicker locally, such as for example by the presence of erect pile thread ends (cut pile), pile loops or ribs (as is the case, inter alia, with ‘false bouclé fabrics’) or a combination of two or more of these fabric structures.
Belgian patent publication BE 1 013 299 discloses a method for weaving a looped pile fabric with pile-free zones, in which the effect of a low-pile velvet can only be created in a pile-free zone by locally binding in effect weft threads with laterally protruding filaments.
Belgian patent publication BE 1 018 849 discloses a method for weaving fabrics with zones having a rib structure. The weft threads which support the ribs are inserted outside the ground fabric. By inserting first and second supporting weft threads with different colours, it is possible to use the one weft thread in the zones with a rib structure for rib formation, whereas the other weft thread runs visibly above the warp threads and creates an additional effect in these zones with a rib structure. Therefore, no effects are created here in the rib-free (i.e. pile-free) zones of the fabric.
The method according to the patent publication DE 19924214 makes it possible to achieve colour effects using different weft threads in pile-free zones of a pile fabric with cut pile. However, this method requires a special jacquard device which drives both the pile warp threads and the ground warp threads. This requires a considerable investment and renders the method used and the ground fabric relatively complicated.